Inside THE BRICK ACADEMY

The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills June 2021

Brick Academy Museum Reopens with New Exhibit!

Inside this Edition…

President Pat Gray & Vice President Dan Lincoln - Upton Pyne THSSH Fundraiser The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills is pleased and poised to reopen the Brick Academy Museum on Sunday, June 6 - Membership Dues from 2 to 4pm! The museum welcomes the public to its main gallery with a - City College Grotesques unique exhibit showcasing fourteen plaster maquettes of grotesques that were designed some 120 years ago by the architectural firm of Museum Exhibit George B. Post & Sons for the College of the City of New York. The rotating exhibit (story on page two) is one in a continuing - Crossword Contest! series of collaborations between the Historical Society and commu- nity residents. The main gallery also displays “What Put Somerset - Pikes Peak Hills on the Map”, a visual narrative of the five towns. The muse- um shop offers visitors unique Somerset Hills items and local history - Museum Acquisitions books. The top floor of the museum comprises the 1890s school- room, teacher’s office and student classwork. - Past Municipality Proposals The trustees thank museum visitors in advance for adhering to our continuing Covid-19 safety guidelines of limited capacity, face - SCC&HC Grant Award masks and social distancing. We look forward to reopening our doors with exciting new plans, and there is a place for you! Volunteer to be a museum docent or assist with speaker programs, membership socials, school groups, and/or holiday tours. To learn about volunteer opportuni- ties, please leave a message at 908.221.1770, visit our website www.thssh.org, or connect with us on Facebook - "SomersetHills HistoricalSociety".

INSIDE THE BRICK ACADEMY PAGE 2

The Upton Pyne Carriage House GEORGE B. POST AND CITY COLLEGE GROTESQUES New Museum Exhibit

When the Brick Academy reopens to the public one of our historical displays will include fourteen plaster maquettes of gro- tesques that were designed some 120 years ago by the architectural firm of George B. Post & Sons for the new Collegiate Gothic- style campus Post designed for the College of the City of New York, in upper Manhattan. Sunday · September 19

Mark your calendar! The 19th century stone carriage house at the Upton Pyne estate, once a crown jewel of the Bernardsville Mountain Colony, will be the venue of an exclusive Historical Society of the Somerset Hills fundraiser to be held on Sunday, September 19 from 2 to 5pm.

W. Barry Thomson, THSSH trustee and local historian, will present an illustrated talk: “How The Somerset Hills Became The Somerset Hills”. The distinguished Pyne family and estate, named for the Upton community in England from which they came, figure importantly in that story. Patrons will enjoy an hors d’oeuvres and beverage recep- tion, music program, and benefit brochure. Invitations to Small plaster models, like the ones on dis- the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills fundraiser at play, were first designed for what eventually became some 600 large-scale grotesques that Upton Pyne will be mailed to our members in August. were fabricated in terra cotta and installed on the college's buildings. Some of the plaster models were later placed by Post as decora- tive devices around the cornice of the library in his new (1904) "Claremont" mansion in 2021 MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN Bernardsville. The fourteen “extra” plaster models now on display at the Brick Academy Through the support of its members the Historical Soci- had remained stored in the attic at ety of the Somerset Hills has preserved and promoted our "Claremont" until 2012 when the contents of community’s history and rich cultural heritage since 1928. the mansion were auctioned off following the As a non-profit organization your annual dues provide death of the last Post family descendant to revenue for our speaker programs, museum exhibits, propri- own the house. etary publications, and Brick Academy operating expenses. In addition to the plaster maquettes, the dis- THSSH members enjoy exclusive privileges, including play will include historical photographs and advance notice and discounts to special events; free access other items related to George B. Post, his to the Brick Academy Research Center and Library; reduced design of City College and its grotesques, reproduction fees; a print subscription to Inside the Brick and his "Claremont" estate. Academy newsletter; and a Membership Directory. A documentary video produced by W. Barry Renewal envelopes are being mailed to the Society’s Thomson about Post and his design of the annual members. Please remit your 2021 Membership Dues College of the City of New York is at: by June 30. Thank you for your continued support! https://somersethillshistoricalsociety.org/ news/ Test Yore Knowledge—A Crossword Contest

Know your local history? Complete this crossword—and then find the hidden-in-plain-sight reference to the historical center of the Somerset Hills spelled out in the grid! Submit your solution and completed grid (per the instructions on the reverse side of this page) by August 31. A drawing from among the correct entries will be held in September. First drawn will receive a signed copy of The Boys of Late Summer by Jerry Miccolis, NY Times crossword constructor and creator of this puzzle. Second drawn will receive the coffee-table book, Schoolhouses of Early Bernards Township. Solution and winners’ names will appear in our fall newsletter.

Across 49. Cotillion VIP 1234 5678 9 10111213

1. Russian news agency 51. Bad boy John of ‘70s-‘80s 14 15 16 5. Natl. org. that curates major tennis 17 18 19 sports history museum in 53. Ultimate surname (not the Liberty Corner one in 25-Across) of First Lady 20 21 22 who weekended in Peapack 9. He preceded/succeeded Curly 23 24 25 26 in The Three Stooges 57. To improve soil quality, 14. "____ be in England...": farmers would ____ lime home 27 28 29 30 Robert Browning from the Peapack kilns 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 15. Kind of sign in many NJ 58. 1980 NFC Player of the 39 40 41 42 43 diner windows Year Jaworski, now owner of several NJ golf courses 16. Conger catcher 44 45 46 47 48 59. Cholesterol control drug 17. Steel one has been Atlantic 49 50 51 52 City landmark since 1898 62. Juicy gossip 53 54 55 56 57 18. Eponymous proprietress of 65. Residence school Basking Ridge tavern where, on established in 1916 in Basking 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 12/13/1776, Maj. Gen. Charles Ridge for young men in crisis 65 66 67 Lee was captured in his pajamas 67. Duds 20. Attempt 68. "Hello. My name is ____ 68 69 70 21. Michael who portrayed Montoya. You killed my father. 71 72 73 Cochise on 1950s "Broken Prepare to die." Arrow" 69. Drei minus zwei 9. Tennessee home of, and 40. Silent assents 22. Singing cowboy Ritter 70. Salinger's "For ____—With common name for, the 42. It contains more water than 23. Charlie Chan creator Earl Love and Squalor" University of the South (sorta all the lakes in England and ____ Biggers 71. Mortise insert sounds like an Al Jolson classic) Wales combined (presumably a 25. Reverend Samuel who 72. Noted 18th Century 10. Sneaky laugh syllable point of pride to a 29-Down) founded the Basking Ridge seamstress buried, legend has it, 11. Aristocratic, like late 19th 45. Meeting, of the Continental Classical School in 1764 in the Basking Ridge Century residents of the Grand Congress, say 27. Kauai cocktails Presbyterian Church cemetery Mansions in Somerset Hills 47. "The Crying Game" actor 73. One can still enjoy a nice 30. Flanders of "The Simpsons" 12. Allotted Stephen ____ at 1907’s Bernards Inn 31. NJ Govt. Div. formed in 13. University head honcho 50. One can still grab a beer and 1933 in response to 19. Acclaimed late 17th/early a ____ in 1768’s Grain House Prohibition’s repeal Down 18th Century English architect 52. Pokes 32. Peptic problem 1. They’re optional at Sky Farm and polymath Christopher 53. Path taken by Glen Ridge Nudist Resort in Basking Ridge 35. Course that's a breeze 24. 1999-2004 German native Buzz Aldrin in July 1969 2. "We want ____": chant when 39. Former NJ Governor Tom President Johannes 54. Who remains living from Somerset Patriots are at bat who resides in Bedminster 26. Home state of Theo. the founding of Liberty Corner? 3. Equipment for moviemakers 41. Country bumpkin Roosevelt Natl. Park 55. 18th Century Liberty Corner opposed to jiggling 43. Rev. War General Henry 27. Record-breaking 926-lb. one settler William who had a who commanded the colonies' 4. Fruity frozen dessert was caught in NJ waters in 2017 Bernards Township middle Artillery Corps in Pluckemin 5. How Gen. Lee was 28. Son of couple who raised school named for him 44. Actor Edward James of apparently caught in 18- Cain 56. One might be found in the Across's tavern "Stand and Deliver" 29. Typical immigrant to East scabbard of a Rev. War 46. "Coffee, ____ Me? The 6. "____ Language" 1993 book Jersey circa its 1683 founding horseman by sitcom star Jerry Uninhibited Memoirs of Two 33. Scratch (out), as a living 60. NJ's Jonas Brothers, for one Airline Stewardesses" 7. Mercury, Venus, Mars, 34. Chew (out), as a subordinate 61. "Lord of the Rings" actors 48. Last word of patriotic Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto Holm and McKellen 36. Most ill-tempered pledge penned by socialist 8. Sturdy as ____ (like the white 63. Hindu deity minister Francis Bellamy in one in Basking Ridge that 37. Carpe diem, initially? 64. It barely beats a deuce 1892 survived over 600 years) 38. Wheel shaft 66. UNICEF or CARE, e.g.

The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills CROSSWORD PUZZLE ENTRY FORM

To submit by mail:

1. Complete the crossword puzzle and entry form in black or blue ink 2. Mail the two-sided page to THSSH, P.O. Box 136, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

Name:

Street Address:

City:

State/Province/Region:

Zip Code/Postal Code:

Country:

Email:

Phone:

What is the historical center of the Somerset Hills hidden in the crossword grid?

Answer: ______

To submit online:

Go to THSSH.org/puzzle and follow the instructions

Or scan the QR code: INSIDE THE BRICK ACADEMY PAGE 5

Who Knew? Pikes Peak is Named for a Lamington Resident

Zebulon Montgomery Pike was born on January 5, 1779 in Lamington, New Jersey. He was the son of Isabella and Zebulon Pike, and would follow in the footsteps of his father, who had begun his own career in the military service of the United States in 1775 at the start of the American Revolutionary War. Pike grew to adulthood with his family at a series of outposts in Ohio and Illinois, the United States' northwestern frontier at the time. He was commissioned as a second lieuten- ant of infantry in 1799 and promoted to first lieutenant later that same year. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under the authority of President Thomas Jefferson through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first in 1805-1806 to reconnoiter the upper northern reaches of the Mississippi River. His journeys coincided with both the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Red River Expedition. Shortly after his return, Pike was sent on his second and most famous expedition, the Southwest in 1806-1807. He and his men traveled 3,664 miles through seven of today’s states and three Mexican provinces in 353 days. While en route they attempted to climb to the top of the tallest mountain (14,114 feet) in the Rocky Mountain range but were not successful. Pike claimed that no one would be able to scale the mountain. Fourteen years later Major Stephen Long's expedition would reach the top of the mountain eventually called Pikes Peak. Pike published journals of his explorations in 1810 as An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi and through the Western Parts of Louisiana. He later achieved the rank of brigadier general in the American Army and served during the War of 1812, until he was killed during the Battle of York on April 27, 1813 at the young age of 34.

Museum Acquisitions

The Board of Trustees extends its sincere gratitude to the following patrons for their generous gifts to the Brick Academy Museum:

- Far Hills Train Station Log of “Notice of Arrival of Goods”. Dated April 3, 1945 to February 7, 1947. Gift of David Judd, Westfield NJ

- A reproduction of a circa 1780 map of the route from Pluckemin to Chester (then Black River) drawn during the American Revolution for the Continental Artillery Cantonment at Pluckemin. Gift of W. Barry Thomson, New York NY

- Antique cast iron and oak wood school desk with ink well. Gift of Debbie Carroll, Basking Ridge NJ

- Early collection of Betsy Boocock’s notes and maps related to listing Franklyn Corners on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. Gift of Dan Lincoln, Bernardsville NJ INSIDE THE BRICK ACADEMY PAGE 6

New Municipality Proposals of 100 years Ago By W. Barry Thomson

Over the years a number of efforts have been made to alter municipal boundaries and create new municipali- ties in the Somerset Hills region, with the goal of making local governments more responsive to the changing needs of residents. Invariably these efforts have been driven by disputes over a wide range of local budgetary matters, such as road maintenance, policing, public utilities, infrastructure needs, schools, zoning, and tax rates, as well as by differing priorities and needs of those living in rural and village sections. The first of such efforts in the 20th century resulted in the creation of Mendham Borough out of Mendham Township in 1906, and the separation of the Borough of Peapack-Gladstone from Bedminster Township in 1912. The 1920s and early 1930s, however, saw several more efforts, some successful and some not, to further alter municipal boundaries. One hundred years ago, in 1921, efforts were made to break up Bernards Township to create three new boroughs: Far Hills, Bernardsville, and Basking Ridge. As originally proposed, only the areas around Liberty Corner and Lyons would have remained within Bernards Township. After bills authorizing these new boroughs passed the New Jersey Legislature, local referenda were held in June 1921 allowing residents in each of the affected areas to vote on the proposals. The vote to create the Borough of Far Hills passed, while votes to form the separate boroughs of Bernardsville and Basking Ridge were defeated. The Borough of Bernardsville, however, would be formed three years later, in 1924. Farther afield in neighboring Morris County, Harding Township formally seceded from what was then Passaic Township (today’s Long Hill Township) in 1922. In the early 1930s two more municipal changes were proposed, one successful and one not. The Borough of Chester separated from Chester Township in 1930. Then, in early 1931 a more contentious proposal was made to form a new Borough of Mine Mount, derogatively dubbed the “Millionaire Boro.” This proposal, which was made by a group of some 17 residents of the so-called “Mountain Colony” area of Bernardsville, Peapack- Gladstone, and Far Hills, would have taken in virtually all of the rural, non-commercial areas of those three towns. Meeting with strong opposition, primarily due to the significant loss of tax ratables in each of the affected municipalities, the proposal was soon dropped.

Map of the proposed new "Borough of Mine Mount" Published January 29, 1931 in the Bernardsville News

Heavy black line completely encircles ter- ritory it is planned to include within the proposed new territory. Shaded section (right) shows portion of original Borough of Bernardsville remaining if new Borough of Mine Mount is formed. Heavy dotted line at left of map and portion of North Branch of the Raritan River show present western boundary of Bernardsville Bor- ough. Territory between heavy dotted line (left) and heavy solid line shows portions of Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone Bor- oughs planned to be included in the new proposed borough. INSIDE THE BRICK ACADEMY PAGE 7

Historical Society of the Somerset Hills Awarded Grant

The Historical Society received a grant of $4,000 from the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commis- sion as part of the County History Partnership Program. The CHPP grant for nonprofit organizations enables the New Jersey Historical Commission to support local history within each of New Jersey's twenty-one counties through a competitive grant application process. THSSH’s grant application was prepared by Susan Zibelli, Chair and Cynthia Crosson, volunteer. The funds will be used for ongoing maintenance, the Brick Academy museum collections, and to support membership programs. “The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills are stewards of our area's history. We play a crucial role in the safeguarding of our area's heritage. Thanks to the generous contribution we received through the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission CHPP Grant, our organization was able to continue to operate throughout the past year despite our shortfalls due to the COVID restrictions, allowing us to continue our work to preserve and make accessible the rich resources in our repositories,” said Susan Zibelli. Grant recipients also included Friends of Kennedy Martin Stelle Farmstead, The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, and The Somerset County Historical Society.

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Museum Hours: First Sunday of the Month · 2 to 4 PM Research Library: By Appointment